


Hibiscus

by stuttervoice



Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: Fluff, Gen, Humor, Platonic Relationships, even though it wasn't really supposed to be about that rip, platonic akkr is important, they love to tease each other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-08
Updated: 2015-11-08
Packaged: 2018-04-30 15:04:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,439
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5168303
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stuttervoice/pseuds/stuttervoice
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Since they’ve accumulated enough vacation time for a trip, they decide to go to Hawaii for a week or two, and the rainbow boys bring their pink-haired manager along for the ride. Laughter ensues.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Hibiscus

**Author's Note:**

> Tbh I don’t know why I even named it “Hibiscus” at this point because nO ONE WEARS A HIBISCUS GDI. But hibiscus flowers remind me of Hawaii so yeah.
> 
> So! When I first heard about the fact that one of the Replace chapters was going to be set in Hawaii, I kind of... flipped out www. I used to live there a long, long time ago and I miss it (guess I was kind of jealous of the characters lmao) since I haven’t been back in a long time. It inspired me, though, to write about them exploring my old home and it kind of spiraled out of control whoops. A lot of the places I mention are real (please don’t kill me copyright), at least they were when I used to live there. Anyway, please enjoy the ridiculous fluff between the rainbow boys. (Ah some of you might remember, but this isn’t really a part of the series I have where they all live together. I thought about it, but meh. It’s just another post-canon thing where they live together.) (Btw I have no idea how the rooming situation actually went in the Replace chapter bc I haven’t had time to read it rip)

“Wow, we haven’t been here since middle school,” Aomine comments as if there was ever a possibility of them returning to Hawaii. Well, no. There _was_ , considering Akashi’s wealth, but it seemed unlikely that they’d _all_ take a vacation to this state once more. Then again, they all live together, so when one person goes away on vacation, they all do, so maybe this was, in fact, inevitable.

It had been Kise’s suggestion to return to Hawaii. When they all accumulated enough vacation time to take a trip together, Akashi held a meeting and took suggestions. In the end, they decided Kise’s one was best, so off to Hawaii they went. They even brought Momoi with them despite the fact that she didn’t live with them, and they were all glad to have her along even if some wouldn’t admit it (*cough* Aomine *cough*). After all, she helped them out with their itinerary, which was jumbled due to all of their different interests.

Tetsuya shields his eyes against the sun as he peers at the ocean. They’re staying at the Turtle Bay Resort, and so the ocean is right next to them. At some point in the day, if none of them are too tired, Tetsuya’s sure that they’ll end up on the beach. 

Since there’s an odd number of people, Kise, Midorima, and Murasakibara have been jammed into a room together, while Akashi and Tetsuya and Aomine and Momoi share a room. The last pair might end in disaster (to be fair, so might the trio), but they were going to do the same pairs as the last time they stayed here, except there was no one else for Momoi to stay with. 

“Well, we didn’t really expect to come back here, but we did,” Akashi points out in response to Aomine’s previous statement, drawing out a snort from the taller man. Tetsuya turns his attention to the lei around his neck, dipping his head to sniff the plumerias. It has a very pleasant scent to it. 

“Kurokocchi, are you having fun?” Kise asks, eagerly, as he runs up to them. He’d gone to his room to change, and Tetsuya stops himself from wincing at the bright yellow Hawaiian print shirt he’s wearing. He’s even wearing matching board shorts, and Tetsuya idly wonders where his sunglasses are. Also, he might want to avoid Kise for a bit. He practically screams ‘tourist.’ 

“I am,” Tetsuya decides to say instead of commenting on his appalling apparel, and he turns away from the horrendous sight. Aomine and Akashi are still conversing, so their eyes have been spared for the moment. _Lucky._

“Great! Oh, and Murasakicchi wants to go to something called a lu…lu…” Out of the corner of his eyes, Tetsuya notices Kise’s expression twist as he tries to recall the word. Luckily for him, Tetsuya is quite sure what he’s talking about. 

“A luau?” He supplies, tilting his head. Kise beams at him. 

“Yeah, that! There are going to be hula dancers and fire and oh! Food. Duh. That’s why he wants to go in the first place,” Kise notes with a sheepish laugh. Tetsuya smiles a little. Of course that’s why Murasakibara wants to go. 

“That sounds like a plan, and I’m sure Momoi won’t mind,” Akashi cuts in, wincing at the sight of Kise. Visibly trying not to sigh, he says, simply, “Kise, you look atrocious. Go back and get something else.” 

Kise bursts into crocodile tears, jumping onto Tetsuya, who leans away in an attempt to save his lei from being crush. “Akashicchi and Kurokocchi are so mean!” He wails, going for Aomine next, who rolls his eyes and walks away. “Aominecchi!” 

Tetsuya sighs, patting Kise’s shoulder consolingly. “I did not say anything, but Akashi-kun is right. There’s just too much yellow. Perhaps a different color?” He tries. 

Kise sniffles, pouting. “Alright…” He agrees, reluctantly, and trudges back into the main building with his tail between his legs. Tetsuya watches him go, feeling a little bad for his friend. 

That worry is soon forgotten as Akashi bumps shoulders with him. Tetsuya looks up and finds the redhead smiling at him. “Well, then, shall we test the waters?” He asks, gesturing to the beach. There aren’t too many people out since it’s around lunchtime; the ones that are still down there are taking breaks and eating lunch as well. 

Tetsuya smiles back at him, hooking his arm through his. “I think we shall.” 

* * *

 

You learn some things about Hawaiians pretty fast. Tetsuya’s English is only average, not nearly as good as Akashi’s, but he understands enough to know this: a lot of them have accents different from other people in the States, they don’t quite speak proper English (pidgin is the word he’s heard thrown around), and they talk a lot. The last one you don’t have to understand English for, but, well. They can talk a lot, but a lot of them are also friendly if not a bit loud. 

There’s also this gesture that he’s noticed a lot of them know. They fold their index, middle, and ring finger inward and leave their thumb and pinky sticking out, and this is called a ‘shaka.’ They like to make it when they take pictures, which is why Tetsuya knows it. 

Anyway, Tetsuya is now attempting to build a sand castle since there’s nothing better to do, and Akashi is watching him from a distance, clearly amused. Tetsuya had tried to throw a bucket of sand at him, but found that it was packed with wet sand a bit too late, and fell on his own face from the momentum. After laughing at him, Akashi had come to help him up. 

Aomine is attempting to learn how to surf from an instructor further down the beach, and Momoi is pouting about Tetsuya wearing a rash guard while keeping an eye on Aomine. The only reason Tetsuya is wearing a rash guard is because Akashi insisted on such, despite the fact that they’d all seen each other in locker rooms before (well, minus Momoi, obviously). He’s long since stopped understanding some things the other did, so he doesn’t even bother to question it anymore. (Perhaps it had to do with Tetsuya’s sensitive skin, always easily sunburned.)

Kise, Midorima, and Murasakibara are spread out across the beach. Midorima is sitting on a towel in the shade of a palm tree, trying to avoid a sunburn while also keeping an eye out for honus. Murasakibara is eating snacks next to Midorima, and Kise is diving around in the water, looking for sea life. Midorima is the unofficial lifeguard at the moment, so he’s probably watching Kise as well. 

Tetsuya sighs, sitting back and observing his work. All he has so far is a natural moat from the ocean brushing up against the castle, and the four towers. He sets about creating the main part of the castle, hammering at it with his shovel. He feels a bit childish, but what else is he supposed to do? He doesn’t feel like swimming. 

He sees a sand crab skittering past and watches it in amusement. As its name suggests, it’s nearly invisible against the sand. It makes him feel like he has something in common with it. 

Someone crouches beside him, distracting him from the tiny crustacean, and he looks up to see Murasakibara looming over him, snacks abandoned. “Can I crush your castle after you’re done?” He asks, tilting his head. 

“No, you cannot,” Tetsuya deadpans. 

“Eh~ Why not?” He pouts, sitting down and stretching out his legs so the water will brush over his legs when it surges up the beach. 

“Because I worked very hard on it. Someone can destroy it later when we’re gone, or it’ll be washed away if the tide comes up, but I’d rather not have my hard work be destroyed by a friend,” he points out, returning to shaping the middle of the castle. A moment later, a larger pair of hands join his, and he looks up in surprise. 

Murasakibara has a tiny smile on his face as he easily scoops the sand into place. “I wouldn’t want Kuro-chin’s hard work to go to waste~” He hums, but there’s a softness to his voice that pulls unexpectedly at Tetsuya’s heartstrings. 

Looking back at the castle, he smiles softly. “Thank you, Murasakibara-kun.” 

“Mm-hmm~” 

* * *

 

Akashi joins them shortly afterward and expands it to the surrounding area, building stables and the like for a touch of reality. He even constructs a bridge over the moat, impressing both Tetsuya and Murasakibara. Tetsuya has a feeling he joined in because he noticed his and Murasakibara’s small exchange, but he can’t be sure. 

Momoi flounces over not long after, bored of watching Aomine easily grasp the concept of surfing, and sits down next to them. They all politely don’t stare at her, as she’s wearing a bikini, and she joins in on creating the castle, adding in details with her longer fingernails. Kise soon emerges from his diving and brings some seashells with him, sticking it onto the walls of the castle. Midorima joins and helps them deepen the moat a little. 

Finally, seeing as all his friends are gathered around the castle, Aomine comes along and sticks the flag on top of the castle, declaring their project finished. 

“Aomine-kun didn’t do much,” Tetsuya observes, sandwiched between Momoi and Akashi as he appraises their finished work. The castle looks much better than it would have had he done it on his own, and he can’t help but feel grateful that his friends indulged his whims. 

“Hey, I was surfing!” The darker blue-haired man protests, earning laughs from the rest of the group. 

“Let’s take a picture!” Momoi exclaims, excitedly, taking her phone out of her jacket and powering it on. There are a few grumbles, but they all gather around the castle. Murasakibara is on one end, a grouchy Aomine next to him, then Kise, who has his arm thrown over Tetsuya, who sits next to Akashi, and then Midorima rounds them out. Momoi props her phone up on a bucket and sets the timer before dashing back to them, hugging Midorima’s arm as she beams at the camera. “Say ‘rainbow’!” 

For some reason, they all follow her command and shout, “Rainbow!” just as the camera goes off. Momoi hurries over to check on the picture while they stare at each other in confusion. Tetsuya is the one who ends up speaking up. 

“Um, Momoi-san, why ‘rainbow’?” He asks, curiously. Of course he’s aware that they look like a rainbow, but, well. 

Momoi beams at them. “Because you’re the rainbow boys in the state known for rainbows!” 

About half of their jaws drop, and Tetsuya turns to face Akashi inquisitively. To his surprise, even the unbelievably smart redhead looks dumbfounded. 

_I suppose we all learned something today._

* * *

 

After constructing the sand castle, they made symbols that represent people to go with it, all based on chess pieces (although since there weren’t enough, Momoi got to be a mermaid, which was very difficult to shape), and while it was hard building the shapes, they managed a decent job. The problem is that they’re still arguing about who got what. 

“Why am I the pawn?!” Kise mourns his position even now as they stand in the buffet line for the luau. Murasakibara is taking everything, while Tetsuya peers at the food curiously. Teriyaki beef, short ribs, chicken cutlet, chicken katsu, chicken long rice (strange clear noodles, Tetsuya notes with mild bemusement, and decides to take some for tasting), lomi salmon, poke, sushi, kimchi, kalua pig, lau-lau… Tetsuya spots a purple substance called poi and eyes it warily, deciding not to test such a thing. 

“Because it fits,” Aomine snorts back, and Tetsuya takes time to critically examine the stack of meat on his plate. _A meathead indeed._

“But I can’t even move that much! Why do _you_ get to be the knight?” Kise pouts, looking for something to eat. He doesn’t seem too keen on trying new food, grumbling something about his skin. Tetsuya tries not to sigh at his vanity. 

“Aomine fits as the knight,” Akashi speaks up. He found tofu patties along the way, filled with imitation crab, and he has a stack of it on his plate. Tetsuya looks back at his clear noodles and small serving of rice and kalua pig. As usual, he has the least amount of food. Murasakibara already has two platefuls of food. “After all, he was the ace of our team.” 

Kise sulks while Aomine grins. Since there’s a lull in Kise’s complaining, Akashi goes on to justify the other picks. “Midorima is the bishop because it also makes sense, and Murasakibara is the rook because, well,” he points to the purple-haired giant quickly covering ground around the buffet tables. “I’m the king because I was the captain, and Kuroko is the queen because of his passes. The queen has the most mobility, after all. If you were to argue about Aomine, you at least have to concede that knight suits Aomine better than queen.” 

“Damn right,” Aomine mutters, making Kise groan as his arguments are all invalidated. Then Aomine straightens a little, eyeing Akashi suspiciously. “Why does Tetsu have to be _your_ queen?”

Kise nearly chokes on his own spit while Akashi merely raises an eyebrow. Tetsuya decides to go find a table after getting himself a nice, refreshing glass of fruit punch. “Don’t say it like that, Aominecchi!” Kise wails, drawing some unwanted attention. The attention eventually drops, but everyone wishes Kise wasn’t so loud. 

“Well, if you’d like to put it that way, Kuroko is _my_ queen because, while you might have discovered him, I helped him find his talent,” Akashi says with the slightest hint of smugness, and Tetsuya nudges him in his side. Sighing, the redhead relents, but tacks on in quieter voice, “Besides, he’s always there for me. Thanks, Kuroko.” He ruffles his hair affectionately with his free hand, and Tetsuya can’t find the will to bat his hand away. 

“Of course, Akashi-kun,” he decides to say instead. “We are friends after all, and I’m glad that I could help you.” He thinks that Akashi’s sentiment can’t apply to middle school, not after that mess, but he thinks about Akashi showing up at his apartment one day, needing a place to stay, and he thinks about how he became permanent, and yes, he’s glad he could do something for his friend after everything. 

“This turned unexpectedly mushy,” Midorima grumbles to Momoi, who is watching the scene with teary eyes. Momoi hits him in the shoulder, earning more grumbling from Midorima. 

“Oh, hush, Midorin. Akashi-kun and Tetsu-kun are having a moment,” Momoi insists, and both Akashi and Tetsuya turn to look at them in amusement before glancing back at each other. 

“Should we find a seat?” Tetsuya asks, tilting his head as he decides to ignore them. 

Akashi smiles, turning on his heel. “That sounds like a good idea. Let’s go. Murasakibara, you can come back for more food later,” he calls to the giant, who reluctantly follows them to a table.

* * *

 

The luau was fun, and some of the locals even tried to speak with them. Akashi had to do most of the talking, but Tetsuya piped in with his average English. Aomine and Kise made an attempt, but Akashi told them to stop talking because it was too embarrassing. Midorima seemed more interested in the hula dancing, and Tetsuya wondered if he possibly wanted to try. Seeing as it involved dressing in extremely scarce clothing, he would guess not. 

Tetsuya turns on his side and stares at Akashi’s back intently, as if he’ll wake up just by feeling his gaze on him. He doesn’t _actually_ want to wake him up. In fact, the only reason why they’re sharing a bed is because, well, it wasn’t that different from Tetsuya’s apartment, where they were all huddled together in winter and splayed across each other in the summer. Why get single beds when you’re already used to sleeping with each other? 

Okay. That might have come out wrong. 

He wonders how the others are faring. No doubt Aomine and Momoi had bickered about which sides who would sleep on, and the trio was probably having a tough time figuring out how to sleep on a bed meant for two. That was the thing about having three people in a room for two—the accommodations. Maybe they’re asleep by now. Tetsuya doesn’t even know why he’s up. 

As if finally sensing his stare on his back, Akashi rolls over and squints at him with tired red eyes. Tetsuya feels bad for inadvertently waking him up. “Go to sleep,” he commands, but his exhausted voice hardly makes it sound intimidating. 

“Sorry,” Tetsuya whispers back, and Akashi rolls his eyes, taking an extra pillow and smacking it in his face. Tetsuya’s deadpan is muffled by the object. “How rude, Akashi-kun.” 

Akashi sighs, removing the pillow from his face and tossing it toward the foot of the bed. “Okay, what is it? You should be sleeping by now,” he points out, moving closer. 

Tetsuya contemplates for a few moments. What is keeping him up? He’s not sure. Normally he falls right to sleep after… oh. “I didn’t read anything tonight,” he realizes, lips falling into a frown. Akashi gives him a blank look. Tetsuya defends himself by saying, “It’s a routine. You can’t just suddenly break routine.” 

Akashi sighs. “Alright, come here.” He holds up an arm, and Tetsuya squints at him, wondering if the late hour has scrambled his brain. Akashi rolls his eyes. “I’m sane, Kuroko. Come on, I’ll tell you a story.”

“And this requires my cuddling with you because…?”

“Do you mind?” Akashi asks, raising an eyebrow rather cockily, probably because he already knows his answer. Tetsuya heaves a sigh. He doesn’t know why he loves his friends so much. 

“No,” he mumbles, crawling under his arm. They shift for a moment before finding a comfortable position. Akashi’s quiet for a moment, as if thinking of a story to tell him. Finally, he inhales, signaling that he found one.

“Once, there was a group of people with odd hair colors who lived in a rich land…” 

This ought to be interesting. 

* * *

 

Akashi’s story of their lives in a different world was actually quite funny, even though the redhead is infamous for his non-existent sense of humor, and they ended up staying up later than intended, resulting in Akashi guzzling hot coffee in the morning and Tetsuya drinking a smaller amount of coffee. The others give them strange looks, which are ignored. 

Midorima, Kise, and Murasakibara all look exhausted as well, and Tetsuya finds out that they were trying to find a comfortable position all night. Midorima and Murasakibara ended up on the floor sometime in the night. None of them got good sleep, though. 

Surprisingly, Aomine and Momoi are the only ones who seem well-rested, and Aomine seems relieved to have been paired with Momoi for the first time. Tetsuya makes a mental note to find a book to read so he and Akashi don’t have a repeat of last night. 

Much coffee is consumed that morning before Momoi insists they leave so that they stay on schedule. Their first stop is at a fair of sorts that Tetsuya thoroughly enjoys. There are booths everywhere, and even though the hot, sticky air makes it a bit uncomfortable, there are also a decent amount of clouds to block the sun. His only concern is that it might rain. 

Tetsuya is walking down a crowded aisle when he sees a red Chinese lion on puppet strings being displayed. It’s primarily red, but it has a white fur lining, and it’s… _cute_. He quickly checks his funds (everyone has some US dollars on them) and finds that he has enough to buy it. He walks up to the vendor, and after a brief exchange, he holds the soft lion in his hands, and if you look closely, there are flowers blooming around his head. 

“Weirdo,” Aomine mutters from behind him. Tetsuya turns to him, offended, and Aomine chuckles, ruffling his hair. Tetsuya pouts. “Kidding—well, no, but you know what I mean, Tetsu. Anyway, come on.” He waves him after him as he strolls down the lane, and Tetsuya follows him after tucking his purchase into its plastic bag. 

Tetsuya ends up drifting away from Aomine as he looks at different stands, wanting to get something for his friends. He can’t afford anything too expensive, and they’re all (almost all, anyway) here with him anyway, but he still wants to get _something_. 

For Kagami (because he’ll surely complain if he doesn’t get him a souvenir), he purchases a set of placemats that are colored red with what he assumes to be a Hawaiian design on them. He is more of a housewife than anything, after all. (Even if his job is as a firefighter, and to be fair, Tetsuya wouldn’t know what to purchase aimed at that job.) 

For Momoi, he buys an assortment of hairbands, bobby pins, a headband, and a bracelet, all with pretty fake flowers glued to the ends (or in the bracelet’s case, there are multiple flowers made out of some hard substance ringing around a string). He even buys two clips for himself and uses both of them, one with a blue and white flower on it and the other with a red and black flower on it, to pin part of his bangs away from his eyes. Since it’s so humid, they’re set on hanging limply in front of his face, but no more, he thinks with a note of satisfaction. 

For Aomine, he’s quite a bit dumbfounded since his friend only likes basketball and perverted things. In the end, he buys him a dark blue watch, and makes a mental note to stick it with a reminder that he now shouldn’t be late to any events. For Kise, he buys a shirt with some graphic designs on it, but all he really gets is that there’s an ocean wave on it. 

For Murasakibara, he decides to just buy him a bunch of snacks, and that’s how he’s introduced to the interesting assortment of snacks Hawaiians have. There’s this one candy-type thing he bought called li hing mui, and you suck or chew at it until you get to the hard core. It’s surprisingly tasty. 

For Midorima, he buys him a glass statue of a frog that costs a bit more than he’d expected, but he hopes his friend will appreciate it. And finally ( _finally_ , he thinks because his arms are sore from hauling everything around), he buys a stringed necklace with a pretty reddish seashell encased in a glass shell and black board shorts with red lining. Akashi mentioned he needed new shorts, after all. 

As Tetsuya struggles to bring his haul back to wherever his friends disappeared to, Midorima appears in the crowd, seeming strangely worried, and Tetsuya thanks the deities for the fact that the other is so tall. “Midorima-kun,” he calls, slightly breathless, despite the fact that he didn’t really buy anything heavy, except for Midorima’s frog statue. Midorima’s head snaps up at his call, and when he spots him, his eyes widen. 

“Kuroko! We’ve been looking for you everywhere, and—why do you have so much stuff?” Midorima asks, confused, as his voice goes from angry to befuddled. Tetsuya can’t help his small huff, shifting his numerous bags around. 

“I wanted to get some things for everyone. Here,” Tetsuya says, unceremoniously plopping the bag with Midorima’s frog statue into his hands. “This is for you.” He doesn’t see the point in waiting to give it to his friends, seeing as they’re all already here. 

Midorima raises an eyebrow at him before curiously peering into the bag. His eyes widen again, and he looks up at Tetsuya in disbelief. “This is for me?” He demands, incredulous. Tetsuya just smiles, knowing that despite his almost accusing tone, he’s happy to have received the gift. As he thought, Midorima blushes a little, readjusting his glasses as he clears his throat. “Well, thank you, Kuroko. I’m sorry that I didn’t think to get you anything.”

“It’s fine,” Tetsuya reassures him with another smile. Midorima nods, and Tetsuya takes that as the end of that conversation. Tetsuya surveys the area for any unusual spots of color, but finds none. “Where are the others?” 

Midorima huffs, turning on his heel. “They’re looking for you, too,” he explains, waving him after him with his free hand. Tetsuya feels a bit guilty for unintentionally making everyone worry. “Most of them should be at the food court since that’s our designated meeting place, but some might still be looking for you.” 

Tetsuya nimbly dodges around people as he follows Midorima, and as the tent for the food court comes into sight, he decides to apologize. “I’m sorry for making you worry,” he says, sincerely, making his friend splutter. Tetsuya hides his smile. Even after all these years, Midorima is still quite the tsundere. 

“I was not worried, nanodayo! I simply looked for you because Akashi said to,” he huffs, but that doesn’t fool Tetsuya. He’d seen how worried Midorima was earlier. Still, he opts not to point that out to the other for the sake of Midorima’s pride. 

As they approach the tent with the tables underneath it, Tetsuya spots Kise, Momoi, and Akashi gathered at one, discussing something. So that leaves Aomine and Murasakibara to still be looking for him. When they near the table, Akashi sees them, and Tetsuya manages to make out his relieved sigh just before Kise and Momoi try to pounce for him. Keyword: try. Tetsuya holds out his shopping bags as a makeshift shield, effectively blocking them. 

“Tetsu-kun!” 

“Kurokocchi!” 

Tetsuya sighs, placing his bags on the table while listening to Midorima explain to Akashi how he had found him. Akashi shoots him an amused glance when Midorima tells him about his gift. Tetsuya is then wrapped in a bone-crushing hug by Kise and Momoi, and contemplates whether or not it was a good idea to have called out to Midorima. 

“Where have you been? We were so worried!” Momoi exclaims, pink eyes watering, and Tetsuya gently pats her head in an attempt to soothe her. When Kise whines that he wishes he would pat his head too, Tetsuya elbows him and ignores his complaints. 

“I’m sorry for worrying everyone. I was out buying gifts,” he explains, apologetically. Both Kise and Momoi perk up at that and let him go in favor of eyeing the bags with excitement. 

“Gifts? Did you get one for me, too, Kurokocchi?” Kise asks, turning to him with excited golden eyes, and Tetsuya wonders if he should just say ‘no.’ But he isn’t that mean and just nods, picking up the bag with Kise’s gift and handing it to him. Kise takes out his shirt, and Tetsuya is relieved to see that it looks like it’ll fit as the blond holds it up against himself. Then again, Tetsuya is mostly in charge of laundry, so he should know what size Kise wears. “Cool! Thanks, Kurokocchi!” Kise says with a bright smile that Tetsuya can’t help but return. 

“You’re welcome, Kise-kun. And, Momoi-san,” he adds, picking up her bag and giving it to her,” this is for you.” Out of the corner of his eye, he can make out Aomine and Murasakibara heading toward the table, but they have food. Tetsuya’s expression turns blanker than usual. So they stopped to pick up food even though he was still missing? He momentarily considers taking back their gifts. 

“Tetsu!” Aomine has the nerve to exclaim brightly, and Tetsuya swings his flat gaze onto the man that is supposed to be his best friend. (Ex-best friend… old best friend… really good friend… you get the point.) Aomine halts in his path, expression immediately becoming nervous as he shifts uneasily. _Good_ , Tetsuya thinks, smugly, _he’s scared_. “Uhh… I can explain…?” 

Akashi rolls his eyes, standing up from the bench. “Don’t bother. It’s quite obvious that you value your stomach more than your friend,” he comments with a deceptively light expression disguising his scathing undertone. Aomine winces, and Tetsuya pokes Akashi to let him know not to be too harsh. Akashi sighs, relenting. “Never mind. Kuroko bought you something.” 

Aomine turns hopeful eyes onto Tetsuya, who hands him his bag and says, simply, “Now you have no excuse to be late to prior engagements.” Aomine is flabbergasted as he holds up the watch, and while it _is_ a nice watch, his words are the things that stick with him. The rest of their friends break out in chuckles and laughs. 

Tetsuya picks up the bag of snacks and hands it to Murasakibara, who accepts it with mild surprise. “This is for you, Murasakibara-kun,” Tetsuya says with a small smile. Murasakibara peers inside, and his normally apathetic violet eyes light up with delight. 

“Thanks, Kuro-chin~” He says as he ruffles Tetsuya’s hair. Tetsuya bats his hand away, annoyed, but he still nods. Murasakibara smiles and sits down to eat his food, along with test out the snacks Tetsuya bought him. Pity, Tetsuya was hoping they’d last through the day. 

Now that Tetsuya’s free, Momoi hops forward and hugs him tightly. “Thank you so much, Tetsu-kun! I love everything,” she gushes, stepping back and showing off her bracelet. She’s also wearing the headband and one of the hairbands. Their friends whistle appreciatively, and Momoi smiles proudly, twirling around. Tetsuya watches her with a fond smile. 

“You’re welcome, Momoi-san,” he says, happy that he was able to please her. 

“You’re such a ladies’ man, Kurokocchi,” Kise teases, fixing the hairband a little so it properly shows off the flower. Momoi beams her thanks. Tetsuya just shakes his head at Kise’s words, sitting down next to Akashi, who had sat back down after Tetsuya had given Aomine his gift. 

Akashi regards him with an amused air. “He has a point. But then again, you’re good with guys, too,” he notes, looking over their happy and excited group. Even Aomine’s come around to his watch and is setting its time properly. 

Tetsuya bumps shoulders with him, handing him his gift. “If you say so,” he says, lightly, and Akashi is obviously repressing a smile, choosing to roll his eyes instead. He accepts his gift and takes both items out, appraising them with an appreciative eye. 

“I like these shorts, and the seashell is a nice touch,” Akashi hums, placing the shorts down so that he can put on his necklace. Tetsuya stands up to help him, ignoring the stares of their other friends. Akashi tips his head back to smile at him. “Thank you, Kuroko.” 

Tetsuya smiles back, bopping him on the nose with a quiet, “Boop.” Akashi wrinkles his nose, and Tetsuya laughs softly, using his brief height advantage to ruffle Akashi’s hair, which earns him a flat look. ( _This is what you get for always ruffling my hair,_ Tetsuya thinks to himself smugly.) “You’re welcome, Akashi-kun,” he replies in a slightly teasing voice, sitting back down. Akashi huffs, putting his attention solely into scrutinizing his shorts, which makes Tetsuya want to comment on his childishness, but he doesn’t. 

“You guys are…” Before Aomine can finish that sentence, Akashi sends him a withering glare, effectively shutting him up. Instead, he takes a bite out of his foil-wrapped corn-on-the-cob, and then stares at it in surprise. “Hey, this is pretty good.” 

“I can see the salt and butter on it. That’s very unhealthy,” Akashi says with no shortage of disgust, but Aomine just shrugs and continues eating it. Even Tetsuya has to send a reprimanding look Aomine’s way for eating something so obviously unhealthy. 

“Hey, what’s this?” Kise asks, curiously, as he points to a plastic black ornament hanging from the pocket of Akashi’s board shorts. It opens into something like a mouth with jagged teeth. 

“I believe that’s used to cut yourself from anything that might be dragging you down if you fall into the water,” Tetsuya says, thoughtfully. Akashi nods to his answer, and Kise stares at the cutter in awe. 

“Wow, so prepared! My swim shorts don’t have that.” 

“It’d probably be wise to get one,” Akashi notes, and Kise and Tetsuya nod in agreement. 

They eat lunch at the fair and then head off again. They make a stop at a shop called Cookie Corner, and true to its name, the store sells mostly cookies. Murasakibara is drooling like he’s in heaven (he probably is), and they buy quite a few items from the store. Tetsuya finds that he likes the rectangle-shaped cookies half-dipped in chocolate and the Melting Moments, which everyone else are fans of as well. The powdery white cookies are popular, and they quickly deduce that they’ll have to pick up more before they leave the island. 

Filled with food, they end up just sightseeing for a while more, driving all around the island. They end up in Kaneohe, where there is a mall that catches their attention. They buy some things from the mall, Kise getting shorts like Akashi’s like he wanted. For dinner, they have various foods from the food court, finished with warm cinnamon rolls for dessert. 

They’re sleepy by the time they’re leaving the mall, and they get back to their hotel quite late. Tetsuya half-heartedly showers and then collapses into bed. Vaguely, he can hear Akashi dropping into bed next to him, mumbling good night, and Tetsuya makes an unintelligible noise in return. 

Sleep comes easy. 

* * *

 

Tetsuya wakes early and decides that the food from yesterday was a bit extravagant, and thus makes a firm decision to go out for a morning jog. Pulling on a plain shirt and shorts, he’s about to depart when Akashi stirs. “Where are you going?” The tired redhead asks, sitting up and rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. Tetsuya turns back around to face him. 

“Good morning, Akashi-kun. I am going for a morning jog.” Thoughtfully, he pauses and regards his roommate, well-aware of how much of a health buff he could be at times. “Would you like to come with me?”

Akashi is already slipping out of bed, running his fingers through his hair. His bedhead is not nearly as atrocious as Tetsuya’s, but he still has some, much to the latter’s amusement. “That sounds lovely,” he replies, rooting through his suitcase for jogging clothes. Tetsuya smiles at his answer and patiently waits for him to get ready. 

About five minutes later, they’re slipping into their running shoes and leaving their room. To their surprise, they run into the trio of Kise, Midorima, and Murasakibara, all looking somewhat disgruntled, probably from another night of restless sleep. When they see them, they’re also surprised, and reveal they were going to get coffee since sleep was hopeless. But, since they’re going out jogging, the trio decides to join them, and just a minute later, Aomine and Momoi come out of their room, both dressed for jogging. Apparently, Tetsuya wasn’t the only one who had this idea. 

And so, all seven of them end up jogging in a line, down pathways to the beach and then back up and around the resort. Akashi directs them, falling into the lead naturally, and they fall behind him. It feels a bit like old times—they’re all much older and much different, but—

It’s nice. 

They silently agree to do this more often, even when they return home. 

After their jog, they take showers and then meet up for breakfast. Momoi’s plan for the day is to drive around and visit other beaches and smaller areas where they might find shops that otherwise wouldn’t catch their eye. The day flows smoothly, but the air is humid, and in the afternoon, rain begins to fall. They take shelter under umbrellas while they’re out, and they find a bakery with good pastries to pass some time in. Hawaiians have delicious bakeries, so they’ve found out. One had brownies that come in white plastic bags, and the brownies were cut long and narrow, with powdered sugar on top. They were unanimous favorites among their group.

They head back to the hotel after eating an Italian dinner at a restaurant (the food there was good too—Tetsuya should keep jogging so he doesn’t put on any weight with all of this delicious food he’s been eating), and separate for bed. 

This is how their days progress as they pass their vacation in Hawaii. On their second to the last day there (they’ll be leaving in the morning tomorrow), they head down to the beach one last time to soak up the sun’s warm rays. 

Kise and Aomine are having a surfing competition a little ways down, Midorima and Momoi supervising them. Murasakibara is, as usual, eating his snacks, which also means he can’t swim or else Midorima will have a fit. Meanwhile, Tetsuya is just diving in shallow waters, enjoying looking at the ocean life, when he hears footsteps. 

He looks up and sees Akashi wielding two big boards, not surfboards but the other kind— _boogie board_ s, as he’s heard them called in English. They’re long, wide, flat boards which aren’t used to surf on your feet—you ride the waves on your belly the whole way, if you’re going to do that at all. You could just be using it as a floating device. 

Akashi smirks at him, which instantly tells Tetsuya that nothing good will come of this. “I know you don’t want to surf, and I don’t really want to, either, so how about we go out on these?” He offers, setting a board down on the rocks. Tetsuya peers at the white and blue board. It even has a glass- or plastic-covered hole in the upper part of the board, so one might see under the water while they’re on top. Reluctantly, Tetsuya makes his way up to Akashi and then grabs the board, strapping on the wristband. 

“Alright,” he agrees with a small sigh. He’s never been good at water sports, but he knows he can trust Akashi to save him if something happens. 

Akashi actually grins, which indicates how excited he is for this. Why, Tetsuya has no idea. Again, he’s long stopped trying to figure out what goes through his friend’s head. Akashi pulls him along into the surf, and soon they’re on their boards, paddling out further than Tetsuya has gone before. He glances to the right and sees Aomine and Kise a little further out, sitting on their boards as they wait for a good wave. 

He and Akashi stop around the same distance, and Tetsuya peers through the covering on his board. He can’t see much, but he can see through it, so there’s that. There don’t seem to be much fish around at the moment. 

“Do you know how to do this?” Akashi asks, turning to him, and Tetsuya gives him a flat look. If he didn’t know how to at least surf on his stomach, would he have accepted Akashi’s offer? Akashi raises his hands in a placating gesture. “I just wanted to make sure.” 

“I think it would have been a mistake bringing me out here had I not known how to use a boogie board,” Tetsuya deadpans, and Akashi has the nerve to chuckle. What if he really hadn’t? It could have ended in disaster! So much for having one reliable friend… 

Akashi taps him on the shoulder, making Tetsuya look at him, still sullen. Akashi smiles fondly at the expression on his face. “I’m sorry, but you needn’t worry. If you had not known how to use one of these, I would have saved you. I even know CPR,” the last bit is said in a teasing lilt, looking for a specific reaction, and Akashi gets it as Tetsuya averts his gaze with a blush. Akashi laughs outright, there in the middle of the ocean (okay, not really, but you get the point) where no one but Tetsuya can hear. Tetsuya can’t help but feel a bit pleased at that knowledge and straightens up a little. 

“Here comes a wave. Want to surf it with me?” Akashi offers, diverting his attention. Tetsuya looks back and sees a relatively good-sized wave heading their way. 

Not wanting to be stranded out here alone, Tetsuya nods. Akashi gives a small nod back and turns his head to watch the wave. “Okay, on my mark. Three, two, one… Go!” Tetsuya kicks off with Akashi, gripping his board for dear life, and feels the wave lifting them off. He tucks his body inward, and can’t help his smile when he feels a rush of adrenaline as he’s hurtled toward the shore. They slow down as the wave dies down, and he turns to Akashi, who glances at him with a grin rivaling his own. 

“Again?”

Does he even need to answer? 

“Yes.” 

* * *

 

Tetsuya feels saddened because they have to leave, but he understands that they can’t stay forever. As he’s checking to make sure that he has everything, he stumbles across the lion he bought on that second day. Fondly, he smiles at it as he recalls actually going to Chinatown and seeing the performers. There were people acting as the Chinese lion, swinging its head back and forth animatedly as it danced down the street. Akashi had given Tetsuya a small red envelope with money in it, and Tetsuya had felt five years old again as he stared in awe as the lion’s head came close and gently took the offered envelope. If they ever come back, or go to another Chinatown that has performers like that, he definitely needs to do that again. 

“Where’d you buy that?” Akashi asks, noticing the puppet in his hands. Tetsuya looks up, fingers deftly finding their way around the strings and handle so that he can dangle the puppet in front of Akashi and make it act like it’s walking toward him. Impressed, Akashi raises an eyebrow at him. 

“I bought it at the fair on the second day.” 

“Hm.” At the mention of the fair, Akashi fingers the glass around his neck, and Tetsuya can’t help but smile a little when he notices. Akashi really did like his gift, which he’s grateful for. Akashi notices him smiling at him and smiles back, ruffling his hair. “Well, we’d better get going, Make sure you’re careful with the strings.” 

Pouting a little at the hair ruffle, Tetsuya mumbles, “Yes, Akashi-kun,” before carefully packing the lion. Double-checking his inventory, he zips his suitcase shut and locks it. After gathering his bags, he follows Akashi out the door. 

Their whole group meets up in front of the hotel, where Momoi insists on taking another picture to commemorate their trip to Hawaii. So they gather in front of the hotel, and Momoi uses a suitcase and bag to prop up her phone this time. As she runs back to them, she calls, “This time, everyone say ‘anuenue’!” 

They follow her command, much to their befuddlement once more, but Momoi smiles brightly at them after the picture is taken. “It means ‘rainbow’ in Hawaiian!” She exclaims with an excited bounce. 

A collective, “Ah,” resonates through their group. 

“Don’t we need orange to make a rainbow?” Midorima finally says, ever the practical one. 

Momoi pouts. “Well, yes, but that’s normally a basketball! We don’t have any basketballs, so,” she shrugs, flouncing back to her camera. Glancing over her shoulder at them, she shouts, “You guys should let me take a candid photo! Do things you’d normally do!” 

They stare at each other for a moment. Then Aomine and Kise grin viciously at one another, running at each other and pulling at each other’s hair. The occasional kick is exchanged. Murasakibara starts bothering Akashi for snacks, who appeases him with a bag of chips, while Midorima sighs loudly and rolls his eyes at his friends. Tetsuya looks on fondly, but gets pulled into it when Akashi nudges Midorima and points to him. The taller men grab him, eliciting a yelp, and Akashi practically _cackles_ as he lifts Tetsuya up, shouting back at the others, “I’ve captured the queen!” 

Tetsuya’s noble ‘army’ stand up straight and start chasing them, the sounds of Momoi’s laughter making the atmosphere lighter. 

Needless to say, she got a lot of good shots.

**Author's Note:**

> Cheesy story is cheesy. Fluffy plot is fluffy. Did you expect something serious from me? Nope, in platonic verses, it’s relatively painless.
> 
> I made so many references here, did you guys even know what I was talking about at times? I, uh, mentioned a lot of food, and if you wanted to know what one was, you can shoot me an question. Ah, but I can do two things for you, juuust in case you don’t know what they are.
> 
> Lei- a Hawaiian necklace, not necessarily always made out of flowers
> 
> Honu- a sea turtle
> 
> The chess thing was inspired by what I’ve seen around of them being compared to chess pieces.
> 
> And, sorry to make the end note even longer, but I know I haven’t been too active lately (sorry), but the reason why I posted this was because it was sitting here collecting dust, and, well, it’s been about a year since I started watching knb and got dragged into basuke hell. I wanted to do something to commemorate that I guess. I honestly did not know I would like the show this much. It was what dragged me back into writing fanfiction, as I hadn’t wrote anything for fandoms for a while.
> 
> (Also, whoops, I can’t write how to boogie board properly. I had one I believe, but I’d never really tried to surf with it. I’d just float on it I think.)
> 
> Fun fact: Tetsuya’s lion puppet was inspired by my own puppet that I used to have. Sadly, its strings got tangled, and I think my parents forced me to throw it away. Sigh. I really liked it.
> 
> PS: If you ever go to Hawaii, try Zippy’s chili. It was the shit in my younger self’s opinion.


End file.
